Putter hand grip and related method

ABSTRACT

A golf device for providing an interface for users to hand grip and stroke a putter is disclosed. The device may include a single hand grip, a split hand grip, or interchangeable geometries configured to allow the user to hold the putter in an individualized manner best-suited for producing a reliable, reproducible putting stroke.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Cross Reference to Related Application

This application claims the benefit of a provisional application that iscited in the Application Data Sheet and also incorporates by referencethat cited provisional application, which is Ser. No. 63147671, filed onFeb. 9, 2021.

1. The Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a hand grip coupled to a golf putter.

2. Background

Currently available putter hand grips allow for a variety ofindividualized ways for a user to hand grip the putter. However, due tothe design, these putter hand grips do not promote the user to handlethe putter with their hands and wrists in a neutral, symmetric position.Traditional positioning of the hands on current putter hand gripsrequires ulnar deviation of the wrists with some degree of twisting ofthe wrists away from the position naturally assumed when standing andrelaxed. Various golf hand grips have been disclosed in the prior art.See: U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,626,768B2, 3,252,706A, 3,606,326A,US20050215347A1, US20080009363A1, US20080132350A1, US20090075747A1,US20090233730A1, US20110165959A1, U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,858,356B2,8,932,146B2, 9,072,952B2, USD768251S1, USD772361S1, U.S. Pat. No.9,616,298B1, JP5939744B2, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,438,925A, 3,606,326A,3,219,348A, 1,677,099A, 4,600,195A, 4,597,578A, 4,272,077A, 5,169,152A,4,979,743A, 4,878,667A, 4,746,120A, 5,465,967A, 5,542,676A, 5,779,559A,5,813,920A, 7,481,716B1, 7,563,174B1, 9,174,104B1, and 9,421,439B2.

A need exists for a firm, comfortable hand grip of the putter thatfacilitates the positioning of the hands and wrists, of a golfergripping the hand grip, in a neutral, symmetric position.

SUMMARY

This summary is not intended to describe every illustrated embodiment orevery possible implementation.

The figures and the detailed description that follow, however, doparticularly exemplify these embodiments. The disclosed putter hand gripis configured to allow the user to hand grip the putter with the handsand wrists in a neutral, symmetric position, which may promote an easilyreproducible putting stroke.

In some embodiments, a putter hand grip may include a single hand gripwhich is couplable to the shaft of a putter. The hand grip may benon-tapered until the inferior portion, at which portion it may betapered. In the preferred embodiments, the grip may be between 5 inchesin length, up to 24 inches in length. The grip may be between 2 inchesin length, up to 40 inches in length. The hand grip may tapersymmetrically in a rounded shape, forming a hemi-sphere at the interfaceof the hand grip and putter shaft. As such, the hand grip may benon-tapered from the upper end until the most inferior section. Thetaper may begin at a distance from the lower end equal to half of thecross-sectional length of the grip. In one embodiment, a grip that has across sectional diameter of 1.75 inches, the taper may begin 0.875inches from the lower end of the grip. This may create a taper with arounded hemi-sphere which may be suitable for receiving the user's indexand middle fingers of his or her lower hand on opposite sides of theshaft, with the contralateral hand being placed higher on the hand gripin accordance with the user's preference.

According to at least one embodiment, a putter hand grip may have asingle hand grip attachment wherein the diameter of the hand grip ismaximized per the rules of golf, which currently defines the maximumdiameter as the cross-sectional dimension of the grip not exceeding 1.75inches, with the symmetric, tapering at the inferior edge creating arounded shape or hemi-sphere at the interface of the hand grip andputter shaft; the diameter of the hand grip at the superior edge wouldbe a narrower diameter than the diameter of the grip more inferiorly.The grip may be tapered from the larger, inferior diameter to thesmaller, superior diameter in an even manner. This embodiment mayprovide the rounded shape at the hand grip and shaft interface forreceiving the user's lower hand, while providing a narrowercircumference more superiorly to receive the user's contralateral handto grip the putter.

In some embodiments, a putter hand grip may include two separate handgrip attachments; one attaching to the end of the putter shaft, beingnon-tapered until the inferior portion at which point it taperssymmetrically in a rounded manner; the taper beginning at a distancefrom the most inferior portion equal to half of the longestcross-sectional axis. The secondary hand grip may be attached moreinferiorly along the putter shaft, being separated by the superior handgrip by the distance required by the rules of golf, currently defined asat least 1.5 inches of separation, also being non-tapered until theinferior portion at which point it tapers symmetrically in a roundedmanner. The rounded taper at the inferior portion of the lower hand gripmay receive one of the user's index and middle fingers on opposite sidesof the shaft in a cupping grasp. The rounded taper at the inferiorportion of the upper hand grip may receive the user's other hand in asimilar manner. The user's hands would thereby be in a neutral position,similar to the natural position that hands and wrists assume when a useris standing and relaxed, with the plane of both hands in line with thedesired putting direction.

In some embodiments, the inferior hand grip of the two separate handgrips have rounded, symmetric tapering at both the superior and inferiorends of the hand grip, with a non-tapered central portion. The taper atboth the superior and inferior ends of the hand grip may begin at adistance from the end equal to half of the longest cross sectional area;the remaining central portion of the grip may be non-tapered. Thisembodiment provides similar half-spherical shapes at the interface ofthe hand grip and putter shaft for possible grasping by the user in theabove manner. The additional rounded shape of the superior aspect of thehand grip may enhance the hand grip comfort of the user's hand on thelower hand grip.

In some embodiments, the hand grip or hand grips may be asymmetric, witha rounded anterior half and squared posterior half, or a roundedposterior half and squared anterior half, or any combination ofdifferent geometries. Regardless of the superior hand grip's shape, theinferior hand grip may maintain the rounded, symmetric taper. Thehalf-sphere at the inferior portion of the hand grip may allow theuser's dominant hand to have a method of grasping the putter whereby theuser's arm, wrist and hand are in a position similar to the naturalposition assumed when the user is standing and relaxed, and the varietyof shapes that may be used for superior portion of the putting hand gripprovide different grip shapes which may fit different user's hand sizes,as well as different grasping techniques.

In some embodiments, the hand grip is not directly attached to theputter shaft, but rather attached to a base hand grip that may bedetachably coupled to the putter shaft allowing for easy exchange ofdifferent putter hand grips. An adhesive, nail, or staple may be used todetachably couple the base hand grip to the putter shaft. In somemethods, the putter hand grip is a single piece which attaches to theinterface. In other variations, the putter hand grip is split, either inhalf, quarters, or some other fraction, for attaching differentcombinations of hand grip shapes or materials to suit each individualuser.

In some embodiments, the hand grip has a non-detachable layer, which iscustomizable and allows for different images, writing, or colors to beprinted onto the hand grip as directed by the user. The desired image,wording, or color is transferred via heat press, direct printing, or anindividual's artistic means.

Other methods, physical features and advantages will be, or will become,apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the followingfigures and detailed description. All such additional methods, physicalfeatures and advantages are included within this description, are withinthe scope of the claimed subject matter, and are protected by thefollowing claims. When physically possible, all numbers and ranges maybe increased or decreased by 25%.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described inconjunction with the appended drawings. Like designations denote likeelements, and:

FIG. 1 is a perspective side view of a putter incorporating a hand gripconstructed in accordance with the single hand grip embodiment of thepresent device;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the top portion of a putter incorporating aputter hand grip constructed in accordance with the double hand gripembodiment of the present apparatus;

FIG.3 is an oblique view of the top portion of a putter incorporating aputter hand grip in which the hand grip is formed in a non-cylindricalfashion while maintaining the rounded taper at the lower portion of thehand grip;

FIG. 4 is an oblique view of the top portion of a putter incorporating aputter hand grip constructed in accordance with the modular embodimentof the present system, again maintaining the rounded shape at the lowerportion of the hand grip;

FIG. 5 is a top-down perspective of the same modular embodiment of thepresent system.

FIG. 6 is a schematic showing some measurements and measurement rangesfor components of the disclosed embodiments.

For the single grip variety, the grip may be at the top end of theshaft, as is the current standard installation process of a golf club.The distance between the lower portion of the putter grip and the putterhead may be dependent upon the desired length of the golf shaft.Standard putters on the short end may be 30 inches or longer, andtherefore, with a 9 inch putter grip, the distance between the puttergrip and putter head may be a distance of 19 inches or longer. In someembodiments, the distance between the putter grip and the putter headmay be 15 inches.

For the double grip variety, the distance between the top grip and lowergrip may be be 0.5 inches on the short end up to the full length of theshaft (while very non-traditional, some people grip the putter very nearthe putter head. This is demonstrated with the dotted line drawing onthe 2 grip variety). The distance between the lower grip and the putterhead hosel may be greater than 0.5 inches.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It will be readily understood that the components of the presentinvention, as substantially described with reference to the drawingsherein, could be implemented in a wide variety of differentconfigurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of theembodiments of the system and method of the present invention, is notintended to limit the scope of the invention, but is merelyrepresentative of various embodiments of the invention. Unlessexplicitly stated, the use of “or” means and/or, that is, this thenon-exclusive meaning of or.

Putting is often considered the most important aspect of a golfer'sskill set, as demonstrated by the adage “Drive for show, putt fordough.” While seemingly a simple task, rolling the ball into the holefrom comparatively short distances with a short stroke, proficiency atputting is often elusive. Many training aids, as well as differentdesigns of putters and putter grips have been attempted to help golfersbe able to start the golf ball rolling on the intended line with theintended speed. A putter hand grip is the sole contact point between thegolfer and the putter, and therefore, the means whereby a golfer canmanipulate the golf club to provide force to the ball to ultimately getthe ball in the hole. One problem with putter hand grips is that currentdesigns require golfers to bend or twist their hands, wrists or armsaway from neutral positions, making control of the putter moredifficult. It is the object of this invention to provide an improvedputter grip which allows the user to hold the grip with hands, wristsand arms in a more neutral position, akin to the position that armsnaturally hang, which will in turn enhance the ability of the user tocomplete a putting stroke with enhanced control and feel of the putterhead.

FIG. 1 is a perspective side view of a putter 100, which is conventionalin construction except for incorporating a hand grip constructed inaccordance with a single hand grip embodiment of the device. The putter100, includes a head 120, a shaft 110, and the putter hand grip 130.

The head 120 may be any commercially available or customized putterhead. The shaft 110 may also conventional, and may be tubular, and maybe formed from graphite, steel, or other common materials. The hand grip130 may cover the upper 1% to 70% of the shaft 110, but preferably theupper 10% to 35% of the shaft 110, and the shaft 110 may extend to thetop of the putter head 120.

One embodiment of the hand grip includes a single hand grip 130 that issubstantially cylindrical in shape, with a circumference of the cylinderthat is larger than the shaft 110. In the preferred embodiments, thesingle hand grip 130 may be 9 inches but may range between 2 inches inlength to 30 inches to length. The diameter of the hand grip may beconstant; in some preferred embodiments the diameter of the hand gripmay be constant for the upper portion of the hand grip 130 and then thediameter of the hand grip may be tapered at an inferior rounded taper131 of the hand grip 130, such that the inferior rounded taper 131 ofthe hand grip 130 may be tapered and located at the lower end of thegrip 130, wherein the inferior rounded taper 131 may be a shape havingat least one rounded surface, a spherical cap, or an ellipsoidal cap.For purposes of this application, a spherical cap is an upper portion ofa sphere that is formed when a plane divides a sphere into an upperportion of a sphere and a lower portion of the sphere. For purposes ofthis application, an ellipsoidal cap is the upper portion of anellipsoid that is formed when a plane divides the ellipsoid into anupper portion of a sphere and a lower portion of the ellipsoid. Thetaper 131 ends in an opening portion 131b defining an aperture thatallows a user to slide the hand grip to slide over the shaft; the topend 132 of the hand grip may have a small hole in the center to permitair to escape during hand grip installation.

The lower end of the putter hand grip may form at least onethree-dimensional gripping structure, such as a hemisphere, roundedtaper, spherical cap or ellipsoidal cap.

In the preferred methods of use, a user may engage the hand grip withone hand at the taper 131, with either the index and middle finger beingseparated by the shaft 110, or with the shaft being disposed between themiddle and ring finger. When the user uses a lead arm, the dorsum of theuser's lead arm hand may be in line with the face of the putter head;when the trail arm is utilized in this manner, then the palm of the handmay be aligned with the putter head. The contralateral hand bepositioned in any number of other hand grip positions along the handgrip 130 above the inferior rounded taper 131 of the hand grip.

In another embodiment, the hand grip 130 may be substantiallycylindrical having a substantially constant diameter throughout theupper length; although not shown in FIG. 1, the top end of the hand grip132 may have a smaller diameter than the middle portion of the handgrip, and the inferior rounded taper 131 may also have a smallerdiameter than the diameter of the central portion of the hand grip 130.The maximum cross-sectional length of the hand grip 130 may be at thelower end of the hand grip 130 that is adjacent to the inferior roundedtaper 131. The taper may begin at a distance from the lower end of thegrip substantially equal to half the cross sectional length of thelargest cross sectional length. In a preferred embodiment therelationship between the cross-sectional diameter the diameter of thecross-section is a 1.75 inch diameter, and the taper begins at 0.875inches from the lower end of the grip. In one embodiment thecross-sectional diameter at the location where the taper beings to taperis between a diameter of 0.25 inches and 4 inches, and in oneembodiment, the taper may begin between 0.25 inches and 3 inches fromthe lower end of the grip. The upper end of the grip may have a crosssectional diameter of between 0.25 inches and 3 inches (preferably 1.25inches), and may have a reverse taper, that is a taper thatsubstantially gradually tapers from the larger diameter at the lower endto the upper end of the grip. In some preferred embodiments of the handgrip, the taper tapers along the whole length of the grip. In someembodiments the main body of the hand grip is cylindrical with a 4 inchdiameter at the bottom and a diameter of 3 inches at the top; in someembodiments, the taper beings immediately at the bottom and graduallydecreases until the other end where it converges with the top. Thepresence of a reverse taper may permit the upper portion of the handgrip to allow for additional hand gripping techniques by the user'shand.

FIG. 2 is a perspective front view of the top part of a putter 100, withanother embodiment where there is an upper hand grip 200 and a lowerhand grip 210 adhered to the putter shaft 110. The upper hand grip 200and the lower hand grip 210 are separated by a distance determined bythe user's preference, and may range between 0.1 inches to 30 inches,but in preferred embodiments is between 0.25 inches and 1 inch. Theupper hand grip 200 may be similar to the single putter hand grip 130outlined in FIG. 1, but the length of the upper hand grip 200 may beshorter than the hand grip 130 in the single grip embodiment. In someembodiments, the upper hand grip is substantially cylindrical in shape,having an equal diameter the length of the hand grip until the roundedtaper of the upper hand grip 220. The lower hand grip 230 similarly hasan equal diameter the length of the hand grip, with a rounded taper atthe lower portion 230 of the lower hand grip 210. The top portion 240 ofthe lower hand grip 230 may be rounded or may be flat. The center of thelower hand grip 230 may be hollow throughout the length of lower handgrip 230, with a central opening 240 a at the upper end 240 of the lowerhand grip 210 and a central opening 230 a at the lower end 230 of thelower hand grip 210. The central opening 240 a and the central opening230 a may allow the lower hand grip 210 to be installed on the shaft bya user by sliding lower hand grip 210 over the shaft during installationand affixing the lower hand grip 210 in a semi-permanent fashion for theduration of the life of the grip, such as by an adhesive. The centralopening 240 a and the central opening 230 a may permit the shaft tocommunicate with the upper hand grip and the putter head.

Another embodiment is disclosed in FIG. 3, which shows a perspectiveoblique view of a putter hand grip 130, which has the asymmetrical topportion of a putter 100, with one length having a semi-circle crosssection 300 and an opposing length having a rectangular shape 310. Atthe taper of the hand grip is again a rounded taper ending at theopening where the hand grip slides over the shaft 110. While the roundedtaper of the lower part of the hand grip 131 may not be a perfecthemisphere due to the asymmetry shape of the body of the hand grip, therounded taper provides a similar means of hand gripping the putter asdescribed previously. When installing the hand grip, the user has theability to align the hand grip with the putter face in whateverorientation the user finds to be most advantageous.

FIG. 4 is a perspective oblique view of another embodiment in which theputter 100 has a base hand grip 400 that allows for modularcustomization of the putter hand grip 130 shape. The base hand grip 400attaches to the shaft, with an opening at the lower end of the hand gripto allow the shaft 110 to enter the hand grip. Once the base hand grip400 is adhered, the support wings 430 may provide the interfacewhereupon the modular hand grip halves 410, 420 are attached to the basehand grip 400. There are multiple attachment methods. One attachmentmethod is via constructing the support wings 430 with ferromagneticmaterials and the modular hand grip halves 410 420 with thin magnetsalong the length of the middle edge. Another attachment method forattaching modular pieces or modular wings to a putter shaft, may be viaa tongue and groove mechanism, whereby the support wings 430 interfacewith the modular hand grip halves 410, 420. FIG. 4 depicts a rectangularmodular hand grip half 410 and a semi-circular modular hand grip half420, but any variety of shapes may be utilized as each individualmodular hand grip half, including, but not limited to triangular,elliptical, oval, square, hexagonal, etc. The lower end of each modularhand grip half may have a rounded taper as demonstrated in FIG. 4, or aflat edge. Additionally, the base hand grip 430 in some embodiments havefour support wings, enabling the modular hand grip pieces to be inquarters as opposed to halves.

FIG. 5 depicts an oblique/top down view of the modular embodiment of theputter hand grip 130 demonstrated with the base hand grip 400 and themodular hand grip halves 410 420 slightly separated. The base hand grip400 is attached via the large opening at the lower portion of the basehand grip. The hole in the top of the base hand grip 500 allows for airto escape as the base hand grip is installed. The support wings 430 maybe connected to the modular hand grip halves by either a tongue andgroove mechanism or magnetic force via the modular hand grip interface510. FIG. 5 depicts a rectangular modular hand grip half 410 and asemi-circular modular hand grip half 420, but the modular embodiment ofthe putter hand grip may be any combination of shapes as describedabove. Additionally, while FIG. 5 depicts only two support wings, otherembodiments may include four support wings, which would interface withmodular quarter hand grip pieces, as opposed to modular half hand grippieces. The reversible attachment between the base hand grip and themodular hand grip pieces could be via a tongue and groove mechanism ormagnetic force.

In the preceding description, various aspects of a method and apparatusof a putter hand grip have been disclosed. For purposes of explanation,specific numbers, examples, and configurations were set forth in orderto provide a more thorough understanding. However, it is apparent to oneskilled in the art that the described method and apparatus may bepracticed without the specific details. It will be obvious to thoseskilled in the art that changes and modifications can be made withoutdeparting from the present invention in its broader aspects. Whileparticular embodiments of the present invention have been shown anddescribed, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope allsuch changes and modifications that fall within the true scope of thepresent invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A putter hand grip comprising: an upper hand gripcomprising an elongated body of substantially uniform diameter along thelength, having an upper end and a lower end with a central opening atthe lower end to be slidable over the upper end of a putter shaft;wherein the lower end of the putter hand grip comprises at least onethree-dimensional gripping structure.
 2. The putter hand grip of claim 1wherein the three-dimensional gripping structure comprises a hemisphere.3. The putter hand grip of claim 1 wherein the three-dimensionalgripping structure comprises a rounded taper.
 4. The putter hand grip ofclaim 1 wherein the three-dimensional gripping structure comprises aspherical cap.
 5. The putter hand grip of claim 1 wherein thethree-dimensional gripping structure comprises an ellipsoidal cap. 6.The putter hand grip of claim 1 further comprising: a lower hand gripdisposed a distance from the upper hand grip, wherein the upper handgrip is a shape selected from the group consisting of a hemisphere, aspherical cap, a rounded taper, and an ellipsoidal cap, wherein thelower hand grip is a shape having an upper rounded taper and a lowerrounded taper.
 7. A putter hand grip comprising: an upper hand gripcomprising an elongated body having a length, an upper end, and a lowerend with a central opening at the lower end slidable over the upper endof a putter shaft; wherein the lower end of the putter hand gripcomprises at least one three-dimensional gripping structure.
 8. Theputter hand grip of claim 7 wherein the elongated body comprises areverse taper.
 9. The putter hand grip of claim of claim 7 wherein anupper cross-section of the upper hand grip comprises a semi-circle and arectangular prism.
 10. The putter hand grip of claim 9 wherein a lowerof portion of the rectangular prism comprises a rounded taper.
 11. Amethod of swinging a putter comprising providing a golf puttercomprising a shaft, a putter head, a upper hand grip, and a lower handgrip, wherein the upper hand grip is disposed around the shaft, whereinthe lower hand grip is disposed around the shaft, wherein the lower handis grip disposed a distance from the upper hand grip, wherein the upperhand grip is a shape selected from the group consisting of a hemisphere,a spherical cap, a rounded taper, and an ellipsoidal cap, wherein thelower hand grip is a shape having an upper rounded taper and a lowerrounded taper; placing a first hand on the upper hand grip; placing asecond hand on the lower hand grip; and swinging the putter towards agolf ball.